ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2024-03-26DOI: 10.1145/3654780.3654786
Li Chen
{"title":"Brief Introduction to Quantum Computing for Undergraduate Students: Lecture One","authors":"Li Chen","doi":"10.1145/3654780.3654786","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3654780.3654786","url":null,"abstract":"This article provides an introductory overview of quantum computing for college students through intuitive examples. We explore key concepts, starting with the basic principles of quantum mechanics. The discussion covers essential elements such as Qubits, superposition, entanglement, and introduces quantum gates. The article concludes by examining the first quantum algorithm: the solution to Deutsch's Problem.","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140378293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2024-03-26DOI: 10.1145/3654780.3654787
Ben Lee Volk
{"title":"SIGACT News Complexity Theory Column 120","authors":"Ben Lee Volk","doi":"10.1145/3654780.3654787","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3654780.3654787","url":null,"abstract":"Hamed Hatami and Pooya Hatami, our guest columnists in this issue, take us to a fascinating tour through communication complexity classes, and their relations to structural properties of Boolean matrices. Thanks a lot to Hamed and Pooya for their contribution!\u0000 Coming up on the next issues, we will have columns by Pranjal Dutta and Sumanta Ghosh (on Polynomial identity testing), by Dean Doron (topic TBA), by Stacey Jeffrey (on Quantum Las Vegas Algorithms and Composition) and by Igor Carboni Oliveira (on Complexity Theory in Bounded Arithmetic: Recent Results and Current Frontiers). The future looks promising and exciting.","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140378545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2024-03-26DOI: 10.1145/3654780.3654788
Hamed Hatami, Pooya Hatami
{"title":"Guest Column: Structure in Communication Complexity and Constant-Cost Complexity Classes","authors":"Hamed Hatami, Pooya Hatami","doi":"10.1145/3654780.3654788","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3654780.3654788","url":null,"abstract":"Several theorems and conjectures in communication complexity state or speculate that the complexity of a matrix in a given communication model is controlled by a related analytic or algebraic matrix parameter, e.g., rank, sign-rank, discrepancy, etc. The forward direction is typically easy as the structural implications of small complexity often imply a bound on some matrix parameter. The challenge lies in establishing the reverse direction, which requires understanding the structure of Boolean matrices for which a given matrix parameter is small or large. We will discuss several research directions that align with this overarching theme.","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140380390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2024-01-03DOI: 10.1145/3639528.3639530
Nicholas Tran
{"title":"The Book Review Column","authors":"Nicholas Tran","doi":"10.1145/3639528.3639530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3639528.3639530","url":null,"abstract":"When Least Is Best: How Mathematicians Discovered Many Clever Ways to Make Things as Small (or as Large) as Possible (2021 ed.) by Paul J. Nahin updates a historical but highly technical account of \"what many brilliant mathematicians have done in the subject of extrema over the last two dozen centuries.\"","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139388673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2023-06-13DOI: 10.1145/3604943.3604945
Nicholas Tran
{"title":"The Book Review Column","authors":"Nicholas Tran","doi":"10.1145/3604943.3604945","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3604943.3604945","url":null,"abstract":"Three new releases in data science, cryptography, and automata await expert opinions, as well as a recent ACM Book series title on approximation of Nash equilibrium. Dear readers, these books are not going to review themselves; please consider sharing your perspectives with the community.","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125220133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2023-06-13DOI: 10.1145/3604943.3604946
D. Kelley
{"title":"Technical Report Column","authors":"D. Kelley","doi":"10.1145/3604943.3604946","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3604943.3604946","url":null,"abstract":"Welcome to the Technical Reports Column. If your institution publishes technical reports that you'd like to have included here, please contact me at the email address above.","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133061953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2023-06-13DOI: 10.1145/3604943.3604947
W. Gasarch
{"title":"Open Problems Column","authors":"W. Gasarch","doi":"10.1145/3604943.3604947","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3604943.3604947","url":null,"abstract":"This Issue's Column! This issue's Open Problem Column is by Erika Melder. It is about lower bounds on approximating set cover. The overarching question is: are there easier proofs?","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116901306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2023-06-13DOI: 10.1145/3604943.3604949
Ben lee Volk
{"title":"SIGACT News Complexity Theory Column 118","authors":"Ben lee Volk","doi":"10.1145/3604943.3604949","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3604943.3604949","url":null,"abstract":"I am honored to step into Lane Hemaspaandra's shoes as the editor of the SIGACT News Complexity Theory Column. Lane had a remarkable 30-year tenure as the editor of this column, witnessing many advances and breakthroughs in our field. Ten years ago, in 2013, he won the ACM-SIGACT Distinguished Service Prize for his work. The prize citation stated that \"Lane has written many of the columns, and in addition he has done a remarkable job in recruiting leading members of the TCS community to write about new results. The contributed columns come from both well-known researchers and more junior authors with exciting new work. Lane's editorial work combines a tremendous and broad understanding of his field, with great energy and organization in managing one of the most consistent columns of SIGACT News\". I can only aspire to continue his legacy and to keep the complexity theory column interesting, relevant, diverse and up to date with recent developments.","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133659031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2023-06-13DOI: 10.1145/3604943.3604950
Lijie Chen, R. Tell
{"title":"Guest Column: New ways of studying the BPP = P conjecture","authors":"Lijie Chen, R. Tell","doi":"10.1145/3604943.3604950","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3604943.3604950","url":null,"abstract":"What's new in the world of derandomization? Questions about pseudorandomness and derandomization have been driving progress in complexity theory for many decades. In this survey we will describe new approaches to the BPP = P conjecture from recent years, as well as new questions, algorithmic approaches, and ways of thinking. For example: Do we really need pseudorandom generators for derandomization, or can we get away with weaker objects? Can we prove free lunch theorems, eliminating randomness with zero computational overhead? What hardness assumptions are necessary and sufficient for derandomization? And how do new advances in this area interact with progress in cryptography and in interactive proof systems?","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127483127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACM SIGACT NewsPub Date : 2023-02-28DOI: 10.1145/3586165.3586175
Eric Allender
{"title":"Guest Column","authors":"Eric Allender","doi":"10.1145/3586165.3586175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3586165.3586175","url":null,"abstract":"The end is near. More precisely, the end of my time as a (non-emeritus) professor is near. Thus I'm particularly grateful to Lane for inviting me to share some thoughts here, because there are a few things that I want to get off my chest. The Computational Complexity Column provides the perfect podium for this.","PeriodicalId":387985,"journal":{"name":"ACM SIGACT News","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128746436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}